


While the Earth Turns

by ernstie



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, Judaism, M/M, angry, hurt Levi, s15 ep 22 continued, uhhhh this is a 180 from everyone elses fics LMAO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 19:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18581479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ernstie/pseuds/ernstie
Summary: Levi can't bring himself to be the same.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Devil Like Me by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
> 
> my tumblr is spidervencm if you want to yell at me or if you want to send in a prompt!!!!!

No one has seen Levi in days. He got the first 4 days of Passover off from work. Not a single person, not even Tayrn, had gotten a text from him. All the interns just assumed he was busy with Temple or some other thing related to Passover, none of them were Jewish so they didn’t really know what it involved. Parker started to get concerned when Nico said he also hadn’t heard from him. 

“I don’t know. I don’t think it's just him being busy. Something must’ve happened,” Parker spoke as they all sat down in the old part of the hospital. “Even Nico hasn’t spoken to him.”

“Oh shit. That means something is really up,” Tayrn mumbled to herself. She pulled out her phone and quickly clicked on Levi’s contact. 

_Happy Passover! I get to assist Grey on a surgery today!_

_Damn. You should’ve been here today a patient was hitting on Nico hard and he was having NONE of it_

_How’s the break going?_

It was unusual for Levi to be more than a few hours late to text back when he has a day off. It’s unheard of for him to not answer her three messages, Parker’s four, and Nico’s hundreds (probably). 

“Do you know if anything happened between him and Nico?” she asked looking up from her phone. 

“No idea, not like the other would tell us anything,” he shrugged.

“Levi is coming in today, should be here any minute now-” 

Just as the words left her lips Levi turned the corner. He looked barely alive. His hair was messy, his eyes were tired with bags under them, and his face seemed stuck in a neutral numb look. But wait… he was wearing glasses again. 

“Hey. I just wanted to drop by before I started actually working. I’m in the skills lab most of today,” Levi muttered. He started to turn away again before Casey started to talk. 

“Are you alright?”

“And why are you wearing glasses again? I thought they made you feel like the old you,” Tayrn chimed in. Levi faced them again and shrugged. 

“I’m not really okay. I definitely don’t want to talk about it, and I’m wearing glasses because I can,” he rushed. Before any of the other interns could continue prodding into his life, Levi hurried back down the hallway he came from. 

“If I wasn’t worried before I sure am now,” Tayrn said. 

-

“How’s the collarbone feeling Mrs. Carrey?” Nico asked in a sweet tone. The middle-aged woman smiled and looked at her husband who was holding her hand. 

“I’m much better than yesterday. I’m starting to get in a more comfortable position and having less pain,” she explained. She looked down at their hands. “And having my husband with me makes it that much better.”

Nico forced a smile onto his own lips. He wished he could just feel Levi’s presence. Hours ticked by with no sign of his boyfriend, if he still is that, and he couldn’t stand that the last time he saw him was with his hurt doe eyes staring at him. 

“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll slowly be taking you on lower doses of pain meds, but it can be really sore since your collarbones move with your shoulders. You should be out of here in about a week,” Nico informed them. He flashed one last smile at them before walking out of the room. 

He stopped and placed his iPad down on the nurse’s station. He let his face fall back into resting and scrolled through his patients. 

“Nico, have you talked to Dr. Schmitt yet?” Link asked coming up from behind. He placed his elbow on the counter in a way to force Nico to acknowledge his presence. The younger man slowly met his eye line. 

“No. I haven’t seen him. He hasn’t replied to my text or come to find me yet,” he said before returning his attention to the iPad. Link scoffed at him. 

“Why would he come and find you? You’re the one he’s doing everything to avoid, you should look for him,” Link remarked. Nico rolls his eyes. 

“Levi doesn’t want to see or speak to me. Why should I push it?” he fought back. Link rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever you say,” he spoke before walking away. Nico bit his lip and shook his head. Maybe Link was right. 

-

Schmitt stared at the stitched up fake skin in front of him. He’s perfected the majority of stitches at this point, but he can’t bring himself to move from the safety of the skills lab. Fellows don’t come up here and it’s close to the NICU so Nico wouldn’t be coming this here anyway. 

He took off his glasses to rub his eyes. He spent the majority of his days off studying and the rest of it with family. He if he let himself think about Nico for more than a few minutes his mind would just go back to telling him he’s exactly what his boyfriend said. A man made of failures. He couldn’t make himself put on contacts the entire time because he felt like Glasses. He felt like the guy who wasn’t made for anything. The guy that wasn’t worthy of someone like Nico. Levi didn’t want to sleep more than a few hours at a time either because he would dream of the moment over and over again or have his memory draw up other occasions where he failed everyone. 

“Hey buddy,” Casey said taking a seat beside him. Levi jumped at the sudden noise and grabbed onto the table to keep his balance. Casey let out a small laugh. 

“Oh-Hey,” he let out. His friend placed an apple and a banana in front of him.

“Eat up, I’m going to tell you all about the surgeries I got when you were gone.”

-

Levi walked out the intern locker room feeling just a bit better than he had before. Who knew being with friends actually takes your mind off the most heartbreaking moment of your life? 

He dug out his phone from his pocket and glanced at his text messages. He clicked through and responded to all his friends’ texts from the past few days, but stopped when he got to Nico’s. 

A simple _‘Hey’_ was all it said. He must’ve sent it right after his interview ended. Levi frowned before putting his phone back into his pocket. He isn’t sure if that one word text hurt more than if Nico just didn’t say anything at all. He puts his attention back on to the walk towards his car. He was about to unlock it when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it back out and opened his phone to see what it was. 

_Nico: Please come over I want to talk._

Levi rolled his eyes and typed out his own response. _No._

He unlocked his car and threw his backpack into the back seat. He put the key into the ignition and his phone goes off again, but now its a phone call from Nico. Levi debated picking up and decided he might as well. 

“Hey,” Levi spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“Look, I really want to talk this out and I don’t want to do it over the phone,” the other man sighed. Levi swallowed and thought for a moment. 

“I don’t want to talk at all,” he spits before hanging up. 

-

Levi wasted no time getting home. He let out a long breath when he stepped inside and let his backpack fall to the floor. He carefully takes off his shoes before heading down to the basement. He just wants to fall into a peaceful sleep that lasts about 5 years. This wish got crushed at the sound of knocking at the door behind him. He groaned and turned back around to open the door. 

“Hey-” he started before seeing Nico on the other side. He quickly steps out and shut the door behind himself. “You can’t be here. Like you really can’t be here.” 

“You won’t speak to me, Levi! What am I supposed to do, let you just leave me without a word in?” Nico snapped. 

“A word in? Really? Don’t you think you’ve said enough?” he scoffed. Nico sighed and put his hands on his hips. 

“You know I didn’t mean any of that. You’re an amazing doctor, I wouldn’t let you in on surgeries otherwise. Everyone knows how good you are at anything you put your mind to. I just-I just wanted you to get out the room. I knew the only way you would leave me alone was to hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m more than sorry,” Nico let out. He reached over for his love’s hand, but Levi just looked at him insulted. 

“I know. I fucking know you didn’t mean it but I’ve been told these things my whole life. I’ve been hurt my whole fucking life just to make me feel terrible for being myself. I’m done with it, Nico. You can’t just say shit when you don’t want me,” he snarled. Nico can’t stop staring into Levi’s eyes. It wasn’t the same hurt doe eyes he made the other times. Now he was filled with anger and pain. “It’s not like you’ll do it again when you leave for your new job. What will you do then? Hit me? Do something to make me hurt physically since the emotional pain of seeing you leave me isn’t enough?” 

“It will never happen again, I swear. Please just come home with me,” he pleaded. Levi fixes his glasses. 

“Not today. I don’t want to see you or be near you right now. You make me suffer like its some kind of sport and you need to top your last fucking performance.” he said before getting back into his house. Nico stood there helpless. 

Not only did Nico kill a healthy patient with a mistake, but he also killed his relationship.


	2. Chapter 2

Levi held back a sob as he raced downstairs to his room. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let Nico see how much it hurt him to say those things. Levi never once stood up for himself before, and it’s even harder to do it when it’s your first love. 

He closed his door behind him and just sat down at the top stair. He let it all out. 

He felt his chest heave and he tried to breathe. Everything felt so restricted. The air was too thick to go into his lungs. His hands shook as he forced himself up. All he had to do was make it to bed then just pass out. He didn’t need to change or anything. Just go to bed and forget about this for a few hours. 

-

Schmitt gets out of a trauma surgery feeling way better about himself. He knew everything he needed to, performed above expectations, and just knew he was made for this. He was made for surgery no matter what his past said. He was also pretty glad he decided on contacts today because he was way too sweaty for his glasses to stay on his nose. 

“Hey,” Nico said stepping in front of Levi. The smaller one ran straight into his torso because he was too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings. He immediately jumped back. 

“My bad, long surgery,” he mumbled. 

“Come over tonight, please. I’m off at 8,” Nico lightly pleaded. Levi lifts his eyes to his.

“I get off at 1,” he responded. Nico shrugs.

“Come over anyway. I’ll be up and I’ll have the coffee you like ready to have,” he offered. Levi really missed Nico’s apartment. It was more ‘grown up’ than his room in the basement and gave off the vibe that everything was together. He also just really, really missed Nico. 

“Okay,” he answered. The taller man tries to suppress the smile on his face. He knows it won’t be a good conversation or end how it usually did with Levi, but just having the other to himself was enough. 

Levi nodded and walked away. Last night he woke up after falling asleep and thought it all out. He couldn’t let Nico treat him like that. He can’t let him be a doormat to everyone’s lives. But he also couldn’t get back with him if he just left in a few months anyway. If he had to move on he’d start now rather than later. It really wasn’t an ultimatum, Nico knew that if he moved his relationship with Levi would have to end. They would both be too busy to visit each other, they could barely squeeze time together in right now. The only way they could spend time together is if they both get off at the same time, have a day off together, or both stay at Nico’s place. It wouldn’t work any way else. It was just how Levi could manage to lessen the hurt he felt. 

-

Nico paced back and forth in his apartment. He needed Levi back. He would do anything for him. He hated himself for what he said and everything he did to hurt him before. He already knew about how everyone else treated him, he saw it first hand. Everything he said contradicted how he really felt. Even if he wasn’t in love with Levi, he would still give him as much time and surgeries as he did. 

A knock at the door pulled him back to reality. Nico fixed his sweater and prepared himself before opening the door. 

“Hey,” Levi said stepping inside. He was wearing a big sweatshirt and black jeans. He looked so much better than yesterday. He was well rested and cleaned up. 

“Hi.” Nico closed the door behind his boyfriend and let himself take a step closer. Levi didn’t move away. 

“Look. I’m willing to let go of all this and go back to being with you. But I can’t do that unless I know you’re staying here. It’s not a ‘me or the job’ thing, because I know you’ve worked your whole life for this. We both know we can’t make long distance work since we are both so busy. I miss you so much, like more than I’ve ever missed anyone in my whole life. I don’t want to start us up again just to know there is a time limit on it. But in either case, I forgive you,” Levi articulated. Nico took a deep breath.

“It’s you, Levi. You’re the one I waited my whole life for. These past few days without you have been hell. I can’t stand being without you for this long, even knowing you’re still in the same hospital as me. I could never go anywhere without you and work as well as I do when I know I’ll be seeing you at home,” Nico choked out. “I’m staying.” 

Levi wrapped his arm around Nico’s neck, forcing his face to tilt towards him. 

“I love you,” he spoke before kissing him. Nico wasted no time wrapping his arms around the smaller one to bring him as close as possible. The kiss deepened as Levi cupped Nico’s jaw. Nico pulled away after a few more seconds.

“I love you so much.”


End file.
